Dijon, France, has a sweet old (600 years) tradition: you make a wish while stroking la chouette (owl, carved in a buttress of the Notre Dame Cathedral) with your left hand. Whenever I walk down rue de la Chouette I pause for a few seconds, left hand on the owl, eyes closed, making wishes for my family's health and happiness. Sometimes I help tourists who are courting imminent disaster by using their right hand......